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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29239290">Past Tense</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitherAndDecay/pseuds/WitherAndDecay'>WitherAndDecay</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Krexie Week 2021 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>? - Freeform, Alien Technology, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Feelings Realization, Krexie Week 2021, M/M, Possible Trauma, Pre-Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:02:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,245</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29239290</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitherAndDecay/pseuds/WitherAndDecay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Day Three - Magic/Technology</p><p> </p><p>After building the time device, Krel wanted to experiment further with magic and Akiridion tech. He designed a new device which he hoped would help with they're upcoming battle. Krel required Douxie's help in finishing it up, but once Douxie finds out what he's trying to make, getting his help may be a bit difficult.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan/Krel Tarron</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Krexie Week 2021 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Krexie Week 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Past Tense</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was nearly finished, Krel just needed Douxie to use his magic on it and then it would be ready for testing. Douxie hadn't arrived yet so Krel had taken the extra time to make sure everything he needed was in the correct place. The device did turn on, which was great, but it was yet to do anything. </p><p>Krel set it down on his work bench and checked his phone for the time. He frowns when he realised Douxie was supposed to have arrived twenty minutes prior. That was fine. Krel had set the meeting time early, and Douxie had been sleeping pretty late a lot recently. He figured the wizard had merely overslept again, so he shrugged it off and went back to examining his device.</p><p>He sighs, holding it in his hand. He wasn't sure what he was even looking for, but he just wanted to distract himself from wondering where his magic friend was. Krel didn't even know <em>why</em> he was worried. He could just hear the little voice in the back of his mind asking where Douxie was. There was no reason for him to think like that. </p><p>Maybe there was one little reason but it wasn't possible. With that idea now in his mind, a pang of fear strikes through his core and so he swiftly picks up his phone to shoot Douxie a text. He asked if everything was all right, and where he was and simply stared at the screen waiting for those little dots to appear under the text bar. </p><p>The second it did, he breathed a sigh of relief. Douxie was all right, and had replied saying he was almost there. Krel was still wondering why he had taken so long in the first place but he could easily ask him face to face. He sets his phone back on his workbench and decided to wait for Douxie up in the house.</p><p>When he gets up there he sees the front door to the house start to open. Panicking, Krel is quick to whip out his serrator and ready to attack whoever was about to walk in. The door jerks a bit, then flings wide open. At the same time, Krel had raised his weapon and swung at the same time the door opened. </p><p>A terrified yelp occurs, and Krel stops himself before any impact. He looks to who had come in, and panics once again when he sees it was only Douxie. He de-armed the serrator, putting it away and apologised. Krel wanted to embrace Douxie, for more reason than one, but mostly because he had nearly killed him. He had to get his paranoia under control or one day he may end up <em>actually</em> killing one of his friends. </p><p>"It's all right, Krel. I know it's not your fault." Douxie shifts the hair away from his right eye and offers Krel a smile. Every time he looked to Krel that way, he felt warmth inside.</p><p>Krel took a deep breath, trying to ease his nerves. "How come you're so late today?" he asks while Douxie closes the door. </p><p>"Oh!" Douxie removes his left hand from behind his back, revealing a drink carrier with two cups holstered in it. "I just picked us up a couple of smoothies to drink while we work." He offers the carrier out to Krel, who takes one of the cups out, grinning widely. Ever since the first time he had tried one of these beverages, he absolutely loved them.</p><p>"Thank you!" Krel starts sipping from the straw as he leads Douxie through the door to the mothership. </p><p>"It's nothing. I know how much you enjoy them," Douxie replies. They get through the hidden door, hearing it slide back up behind them. Krel's smile tightens as he tries to drink. It was a very simple, yet sweet gesture. </p><p>They get inside Krel's workshop, where he sets his already half empty drink down right next to his little device. Krel picks it up, turning back around to face Douxie. His eyes widen upon seeing it actually constructed, showing clear interest.</p><p>"I see you've been busy," he comments as he puts his own drink down on the workbench. </p><p>"What else is there to do? Besides that, I love working with my tech," Krel shrugs as though it was nothing that he had built a small, yet complex looking, device within a whole day. Douxie was very impressed by it, not knowing if there was anyone he had met who could do such a thing.</p><p>"Well now you've actually made it, all I need to do is give it some power. If I've understood your schematics correctly." Douxie takes the device from Krel's hand, putting it up to his eye level to examine it closer. </p><p>Krel nods as he walks over to the end of his workshop, pulling open the drawer he kept his tools in and took something out. "Well, I'll need you <em>and</em> this," he adds, turning back around and showing the other item to Douxie. </p><p>Douxie shifts his attention from the tech to the glowing green rock in Krel's hand. His mouth falls open slightly, taken a bit aback by seeing just what it was. "Krel is that..." he points to it, setting the tech down. "Wait, how did you even get that?"</p><p>They walk closer to each other, Krel's lips curving into a smile. "The battle sight- Where we fought the Arcane Order the first time? There was pieces of these scattered everywhere. So I just sort of... Took some."</p><p>"Hmmm." Douxie takes the rock from Krel and picks the tech back up, holding them side by side. The device Krel made was just the right size for the stone to fit inside nicely. "You know, you never actually told me what exactly you were making. You just called it an experiment."</p><p>"I didn't want to- just in case it didn't work." Krel takes his device back, gently, unclipping a latch causing a piece to pop open. He holds his hand out, expecting Douxie to give the stone over.</p><p>"You'll need to tell me so I know what spell to use to <em>make</em> it work," Douxie decides to avoid giving it over, tightening his grip on it. Krel's gaze moves quickly to the stone, then back up to Douxie.</p><p>Krel frowns, tilting his head to the side, keeping his hand out for Douxie to give it back. "I need to make sure these go together first."</p><p>"Why didn't you try that before I arrived?" Douxie asks, continuing to ignore the extended hand in front of him. </p><p>"It just slipped my mind," Krel shrugs, retracting his hand and setting the device down on his workbench. "I was too busy being worried about where you were."</p><p>That made Douxie's expression shift to one of curiosity. "Why were you worried about me?"</p><p>"I just thought maybe the Order had gotten you," Krel answers after a beat of silence.</p><p>A smile starts to play at the corners of Douxie's lips. "That's not <em>why</em> you were worried."</p><p>Krel thinks about it, then when he realises Douxie had a point, his lips press together tightly. He still doesn't know exactly why he was worried about Douxie. Deciding it was best to avoid the subject, he points to the rock then says, "Could you just hand that over?"</p><p>Douxie looks to it, then puts it in his pocket. "I'll think about it- if you tell me why you were worried about me." </p><p>Krel frowns again, staring dead into the wizard's eyes. He couldn't tell him that if he didn't even know. Then a thought strikes through his mind, and he decides to settle on that. "Friends worry about their friends. I'm sure <em>you</em> would worry about <em>me</em>."</p><p>"I definitely do," Douxie admits. Krel's features soften, not quite catching the human's meaning, trying to think of something else to say. There would be no point in trying to bring the subject back around to finishing his device.</p><p>He sighs. "I don't know why I worried so much." Krel turns his back on Douxie, placing his first pair of hands on his workbench. With the other two, he takes the device again, moving it around while he thinks of reasons. He does worry about his other friends too, though just not as much as he worries about Douxie. Being twenty minutes late wasn't really a huge thing to get worked up about. He had honestly forgotten about testing to see if the stone and the device worked together because of his worry. It was so distracting, and caused him to need a distraction to take his mind off of it. Why only with Douxie?</p><p>"You've been stuck in here for how long now?" Douxie questions.</p><p>"I haven't been <em>stuck</em>. And it's only been..." Krel counts the time in his head. There had been all of the current day so far, all of the day prior, and actually the last three before that. "...One-hundred and seven horvaths, roughly," he sighs. </p><p>Douxie shoots him a confused look, but he doesn't see it as his back was still turned. "Umm, what is that in <em>Earth days</em>, Krel?"</p><p>"Oh, sorry. That would be basically four and a half days," he replies. He turns back to face Douxie again, and his eyes were widened.</p><p>"Since the last time I took you outside?"</p><p>"No." Krel thinks about it again, realising his friend was right. "Yes," he corrects.</p><p>Douxie sighs, taking the gem out of his pocket and setting it down next to their device. "Come on, you need to get out." He picks up his drink, walking to the door and motions for Krel to follow. </p><p>Krel thinks about protesting, but knows that there is no point. Douxie cares too much about him, and when he thinks something is good for Krel, he won't stop going on about it until Krel gives up. He rolls his eyes, picking up his own drink which had by now gone warm and follows Douxie outside. </p><p>Another thing that was a mystery to him was why being outside scared him so much. It was completely irrational, yet he couldn't help being on alert each time he came out. That was why he didn't do it frequently anymore. He had never bothered telling anyone about it, always using the excuse that he had a lot to do indoors or that he lost track of time. </p><p>When they got out, Krel immediately started to scan his surroundings. His eyes darted from side to side being sure nothing was waiting to grab him, then he looked up to check the sky.</p><p>Douxie bent down and picked up a stone. "Krel," he says to get the Akiridion's attention. Krel looks at him and watches as he throws the stone upwards. It hit off the top of an invisible barrier, causing ripples of blue to move through it, then fell back to the ground. "Barrier is still there," Douxie smiles at him.</p><p>Krel let out a sigh of relief. He sometimes forgets that Douxie helped him reconstruct the motherships defensive barrier. Well it wasn't really reconstructing it. Douxie had simply used a protection spell around the place, which was weeks ago, and it was surprisingly still there. </p><p>They sat by the edge of the pool, close together, and Krel just started to <em>breathe</em>. Maybe being inside for long periods of time wasn't doing him any good. He closed his eyes, indulging the silence and continued taking deep breaths. </p><p>Douxie didn't bother him, just watched the sky. It was easy to tell that Krel just needed some sun and fresh air- even if he was an Akiridion, it still did him some good. </p><p>Krel looks over to the wizard after some minutes go by. His feelings towards him certainly were a confusing mystery. He had never felt any of what Douxie makes him feel about anyone before. It was abundantly clear to him that he favoured Douxie above everyone else. He was really looking forward to making his experimental device with Douxie.. He had hoped they would become good friends through working together, however it seemed his feelings were a bit more intense than those of mere friendship.</p><p>After coming to that realisation is when it hit Krel. All of these confusing feelings, enjoying Douxie's company, favouritising him over his other friends, there was only one thing he figured it must be. And he did <em>not</em> want to admit it to himself. It was all simply a waste of time, at least that is what he had always believed. </p><p>"You ok?" Douxie asks, noticing Krel had been looking at him for an oddly lengthy time span. </p><p>Krel shakes himself out of his thoughts, answering, "Yeah."</p><p>"You looked very deep in thought," Douxie comments. "Thinking about what caused you to be so worried?"</p><p>With a sigh, Krel nods. "Just can't figure it out," he lies. </p><p>"I'm sure you will at some point."</p><p>"Maybe..." He looks away from his friend, focusing his attention to the sunlight shimmering off the pool water. He had to make these feelings go away. The best solution he could think of was distractions, and the best distraction he could think of was finishing his device. Now Douxie didn't have a hold of the key item, he could do just that. It would only be a matter of getting the wizard to enchant it so it could function properly and fully.</p>
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